How much weight lifting affects testosterone?

[justanormaldick Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close justanormaldick]

When I was going to the gym regularly even with a poor diet, my t levels was 500 ng/ml. Now after two months without doing any weight exercise and doing intermittent fasting, my t levels are 380 ng/ml.

It seems exercises do more than diet here. I also increased my vitamin D levels.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

This is variable depending on numerous factors . However weight training is supported to increase test across numerous studies and given your personal experience I would start training again . How is your sleep ?

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Just on a personal level I am not a fan of fasting .
Anyway this thread may be of some interest.

https://www.pegym.com/forums/erectil...tml?highlight=

[justanormaldick Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close justanormaldick]

This is variable depending on numerous factors . However weight training is supported to increase test across numerous studies and given your personal experience I would start training again . How is your sleep ?

Yeah, I'm considering training again. My sleep is not so good to be honest.

[closed278 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close closed278]

Testosterone levels are VERY complex

You need to have good dopamine, niacin, d3 levels and enough precursors for the body to make the test.

Pregnanolone, progesterone, and dhea are all involved.

One of the simplest hacks is to take in a tablespoon of olive oil a day. Add to that an Egg, a little niacin, meditation/ASMR videos, or any other risky/new/enjoyable activity and you have the makings to get your test levels back up high.

Testicle tapping and massage are also things to consider, as is icing.

Only with ALL these things in place can things like weight training have a good effect on levels.

[watersnake Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close watersnake]

Heavy compound movements will do it.

[mWttrs2 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close mWttrs2]

Exercise can increase testosterone levels enough. But it all depends on various factors)

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

My idea is to support a multi pronged approach.

[closed297 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close closed297]

Exercise can increase testosterone levels enough. But it all depends on various factors)

Possibly including other benefits?

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Exercise has numerous benifits..

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

The first step in the process is to always identify why your testosterone levels are low in the first place. What are the causative factors? In the vast majority of cases, clients are violating the ‘foundation principles’ of health and restoring balance in these areas often leads to significant improvements in overall health, including testosterone levels.

Foundation Principles of Health

Organic Food	Filtered water	Quality sleep patterns
Active Lifestyle	Mental Health	Spiritual Health
Emotional Health	Optimal Breathing Patterns

You will see from the list below, that many of these ‘testosterone enhancing’ techniques focus on restoring balance to the foundation principles of health.
Resistance Exercise and Interval Training


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To raise testosterone levels naturally, combine weight training with high-intensity exercise for fitness. Lifting heavy weights with larger muscle groups like your quadriceps, hamstrings, back, shoulders and chest for at least 30 minutes can give a very beneficial boost to low testosterone levels.

Interval Training has a proven positive effect on increasing testosterone levels and preventing testosterone declines. Interval Training involves exercising at 90-100 percent of your maximum effort for a short interval followed by recovery then repeat. The Tabata Protocol is one proven method for benefitting from ‘high-intensity interval training.’
Stress Reduction


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Stress caused by frustration and anger may cause your testosterone levels to drop over time. If you’re under constant stress, your body will create the stress hormone cortisol, making it less able to produce testosterone. This phenomenon is known as ‘pregnenolone steal’ and can have serious consequences if left unaddressed for long periods.

Simple ways for individuals to reduce their stress levels include:

• Making a significant reduction in the number of hours they work per week
• Identify stressors at work and finding strategies to minimize them.
• Learning meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong
• Practicing mindfulness
• Moving your body on a daily basis. This includes during work hours.
• Finding hobbies that you are passionate about
• Having a strong social network of friends and family

Improve your sleep quality


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Prolonged sleep deprivation can have a significant (negative) effect on your testosterone levels. In many cases of men with low testosterone, poor sleep is cited as the principal causative factor.

According to Gary Wittert from the University of Adelaide in the journal Current Opinion of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, research has shown that getting enough sleep is one of the most effective ways to raise testosterone.
A testosterone-conscious diet

Lower sugar intake


https://doc.vortala.com/childsites/uploads/3725/files/testosterone-diet.pngTo boost your natural testosterone levels a great place to begin is by cutting back significantly on your intake of sugar.

Sugar is linked to depleted testosterone levels in several ways.

1. When you eat a diet high in sugar, your blood sugar levels become raised
2. To help keep blood sugar levels moderated, your body produces insulin
3. Excessive amounts of insulin in your system lead to low testosterone levels

Most people start to see significant improvements in their health by cutting back on or eliminating sugar from their diets.
Increase Vitamin D


An essential nutrient that can help boost testosterone levels is vitamin D; it helps increase levels of testosterone and maintain semen quality and sperm count.

There are many ways to get your daily dose of vitamin D, the simplest of which is to get 20-30 minutes of sun every day.

It’s also possible to supplement your diet, Vitamin D rich foods include:

• Tuna, salmon, or sardines.
• Milk and cheese
• Egg yolks
• Red Meat (e.g. Beef liver is an exceptional source of vitamin D)
• Kidney Beans

It’s recommended that you have your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level checked at the beginning of every winter. For people who have low vitamin D levels, natural supplements such as cod liver oil or vitamin D3 can be taken.

With that said, it is crucial that you have your 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels retested after 4-6 weeks to ensure the amount of vitamin D being taken through supplementation is bringing your levels back into the normal range.
Healthy Fats


The body requires saturated fats from meats, dairy, and certain oils for optimal functioning. Many men with low testosterone levels consume too much junk food and not enough healthy fat.

There are three categories of healthy fats. The first is saturated fat which can be found in:

• Coconuts, coconut oil, and other coconut products
• Organic dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, or cheese
• Meat sourced from grass-finished animals such as beef, turkey, chicken, etc
• Organ meats (liver, kidney, heart, brain) from organic, grass-finished animals
• Eggs from organic, free-range birds

The second category of healthy fat is omega-3 fatty acids which can be found in:

• Fish oil
• Flaxseeds
• Chia seeds
• Walnuts

Lastly, Monounsaturated fats are also natural testosterone boosters which can be found in:

• Avocados
• Olives and Olive oil
• Almonds
• Pecans

Intermittent Fasting


Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but rather a specific pattern of dieting. More simply put, it involves making a conscious decision to skip certain meals.

By fasting at specific times and then feasting on purpose, intermittent fasting means eating your daily calories during a specific window of the day, and choosing not to eat food during the remainder of the day.

There are many different ways to take advantage of intermittent fasting:

1. Skip breakfast and only eat from noon to 8pm. This allows a 16-hour window during which your digestive system is not receiving any food. Some protocols will even reduce this period for food consumption down to 4-6 hours.
2. Skip two meals in one day. So you may choose to skip breakfast and lunch one day and not eat until 6-8pm that evening. This would mean that no food has entered your body for a full 24-hour period.
3. Under medical supervision, you may be able to work your way up to longer periods of fasting such as 48-72 hours.

Fasting has been used therapeutically since at least the 5^th century BC when the Greek physician Hippocrates recommended abstinence from food or drink for patients who demonstrated specific signs or symptoms of illness.

In Western Christianity, ‘Lent’ is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. During Lent, many Christians commit to fasting, quoting both spiritual reasons and physical healing. Many other religions around the world participate in intermittent fasting throughout the year.

The proposed health benefits associated with intermittent fasting continue to be supported by the scientific literature. The research suggests that through complex hormonal pathways intermittent fasting may result in raised testosterone levels.
Zinc


Zinc is essential for testosterone production during puberty and keeps male hormones in check throughout adulthood. Men with low testosterone levels may benefit from taking zinc, as it helps to regulate the endocrine system.

It’s difficult to obtain the necessary daily dose of zinc through food alone because of modern farming methods that rely heavily on chemicals. These chemicals deplete the soil quality and zinc that would normally be obtained from the food we eat is absent or unavailable.

Zinc can be found naturally in foods including:

• Red meats
• Fish and shellfish
• Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese
• Kidney Beans
• Oysters
• Spinach